YMCA could take over Adrian rec programs

Friday

Mar 15, 2013 at 11:14 AMMar 15, 2013 at 12:54 PM

By John MulcahyDaily Telegram Staff Writer

The YMCA of Lenawee County has offered to take over operating the city of Adrian's recreation programs, including Bohn Pool. City administrator Dane Nelson said he will recommend accepting that offer in his upcoming budget proposal for the fiscal year that begins July 1.

Nelson made the announcement at the beginning of a public brainstorming session Thursday that asked participants to say what city services they want to maintain and what revenue options they consider best to support those services.

About 30 members of the public, along with more than a dozen city officials and staff members, attended the meeting at the Adrian Public Library.

The meeting was the city's latest step to come to grips with an approximately $370,000 expected shortfall in the upcoming budget, and further expected revenue declines in following years. Nelson said he still will recommend eliminating the city's recreation department in the upcoming budget, as he had announced earlier this year.

Nelson also said:

— He will recommend the city use $65,000 from its reserve fund to keep Bohn Pool open this summer. The pool had been expected to close.

— If the "Y" takes over the city's recreation programs, the city will continue to maintain the recreational facilities such as playing fields.

— He will recommend that the city use some extra funds from the Swigert Estate to pay its costs in keeping the Piotter Center open in the upcoming year. The center houses the Lenawee County Department on Aging's senior center, and Nelson had perviously said the county would have to take over all costs for the center or the city could not keep it open.

— He will recommend the Adrian City Commission put a Headlee Amendment override proposal on the ballot.

Eliminating the recreation department will save the city about $380,000, mostly from the elimination of four jobs, Nelson said.

Even if the city eliminates the recreation department, it still faces budget difficulties in future years from the expected elimination of at least $110,000 annually of personal property tax revenue, and with the expiration of a grant now funding the salaries of three firefighters, Nelson said.

During the brainstorming part of the meeting people sat at six tables and addressed questions about what services they wanted maintained, what new revenue options they preferred to maintain those services and how to generate community support for those options.

People at all the tables generally supported keeping all existing services, though some rated the recreation department and library above spending more for police or maintaining 18 firefighters instead of 15.

Opinion was more divided on what revenue options would be best, with several groups saying a Headlee Amendment override was their first choice. Some people said the city commission should reconsider an income tax proposal it let die last month.

Several groups said they liked the idea of a recreation authority with surrounding townships but also said they thought it had little chance of being approved in those townships.

A dedicated recreation millage gained some support, and at least one group said the commission should consider enacting a 1-mill library tax that it could impose without a vote of the people.

One group suggested charging nonresidents a flat rate equivalent to what city residents pay in taxes for recreation rather than charging nonresidents higher fees for individual recreation programs.

A general millage increase appeared to gain no support.

The participants suggested door-to-door contact, social media and traditional media as ways to build support for any new revenue proposal.

Several people expressed skepticism about the wisdom of turning the city's recreation program over to the "Y" and questioned what it might mean for future program fees.

"I think we need to do anything we can to keep the city recreation department the city recreation department, not the YMCA recreation department," one woman said.

"Y" Executive Director Sue Smith, who participated in the brainstorming session, said after the meeting that the "Y" does not see the proposal as a way of making money, and that other cities have been successful with similar programs.

"We don't look at it as taking away the recreation department, it would be a partnership," Smith said.

She could not guarantee that fees for programs wouldn't go up at all, but they would be kept as inexpensive as possible and the city would have a lot of input in the project, Smith said.

Mayor Greg DuMars said the city would take the information gathered at the meeting and study it.